


Can you hold me?

by evolutionarydevelopment



Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22756609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evolutionarydevelopment/pseuds/evolutionarydevelopment
Summary: Located somewhere between 2x12 and 3x01.Darlene is going through a panic attack, Dom does her best to help her through it.
Relationships: Darlene Alderson/Dominique DiPierro
Kudos: 27





	Can you hold me?

She was walking back from her brother's apartment to the shitehole safehouse the FBI had gotten. She could feel her heart thudded in her chest. Her hands were trembling, and her legs started to feel wobbly. 'Not this again,' she murmured to no one except herself. Her panic attacks were more getting frequent than ever. The worst thing about it, was that she didn't see a way out, like she usually did. She put her hands in the pockets of her green army jacket, and started to walk as fast as she could muster. 

She finally arrived at the corner of the street where the safehouse was located. She had never been so happy to see the front door of the safehouse. She rushed down the stairs, missed a step and almost ending up falling. Luckily, she managed to get hold of the handrail. She didn't dare to move. She started to rummage through her bagpack in search of her keys. It took her a few seconds to find it, as soon as she did, she tried to introduce the key into the hole, but failed miserably as her hands were shaking harder than ever. She finally managed to open the freaking door. She wiped the tears which were beginning to blur her vision before entering the apartment. She didn't know if the pigs were still upstairs, and she didn't want to give them the sastifaction of seeing her unravel like this. She went straight for the bathroom, and let herself fall down onto the cold tile floor. She wrapped her arms around herself as she cried harder than before. She tried to follow a trick than Elliot had shown her when they were younger, which consisted of counting to 10 while inhaling and exhaling through her nose. She must have done this for a few minutes when she heard a noise coming from the front door. Could it be the Dark Army? Did they even care about her? Even if they did, how did they know where to find her? Maybe, someone inside the FBI gave them her location. After all, they had men everywhere, why not inside the FBI?

Before she could plead for her life, she saw a similar figure. Agent Dipierro. She looked uncomfortable, she was figdeting with her hair. Darlene was trying to get up, to give her a peace of her mind but before she could do so, Dom started to lower herself and said 'Sit back down.' 

'Tell me what's happening, Darlene.' she said softly while maintaining her distance. 

Darlene had troubles speaking but managed to at least get a sentence out, 'I just need a minute'. 

'Can I take your pulse?' 

Darlene simply nodded. Dom gently placed her index and middle fingers on Darlene's wrist. 

'It's a bit high but nothing we can't fix. Can I ask you a question?'

Once again, Darlene nodded, never breaking eye contact. 

'Do you know where you are?' 

Darlene gave her a shitty remark about being inside a pig house. Apparently, panic attacks never unable to change Darlene's personality. 

'Good. That's good. Can you tell me the color of my eye?'

Some time passed, and when Darlene didn't respond, Dom asked her again, 'Darlene, what's the color of my eye?' 

'Shit. I don't know, dude. Gray?' Her arms were now crossed, resting on top of her knees. She seemed slightly better than before. Darlene spoke up, 'When did you become a doctor?'

Even in this state, Darlene found a way to fluster her, but she couldn't let herself be affected. She wanted to help her get through this. 

'I am not a doctor. Just had a bit of practice at the FBI.' 

'Aah. I almost forgot about that part for a moment.'

'Still a pig as you would said. Sorry to disappoint. Can you stay by yourself?'

'Why? Where are you going?' Darlene said, not caring if she sounded needy. 

Dom was quick to reply, 'I am not going anywhere. I am going to get you a glass of water. I'll be right back. Can you try to imagine yourself in a happy place while I do so?' 

Darlene shrugged. Dom got up, opened the bathroom's door, and got out. She quickly grabbed a glass from the kitchen sink and poured some fresh water into it. She went back to the bathroom, and noticed that Darlene had moved. The hacker's back was now resting against the bathtub, and her breathing seemed to have returned to normal. She offered the glass to the younger woman, and quickly sat down next to her while once again, making sure she wasn't invading her personal space. 

'Where would you able to imagine yourself in a happy place?' Dom asked, slowly turning her head to look at the woman sitting to her right.

'Nah. That shit never works.' 

Apparently, it wasn't Darlene first rodeo. 'Does a doctor know about your condition?' said Dom. 

'Yeah. He couldn't do anything so he offered to prescribe some Xanax.' 

'You didn't want to take them?' 

'Not really. The Aldersons don't have the best history with addictive substances. I figured I was better off.' 

'Can I check your pulse, again?'

'Knock yourself out, Doctor Dipierro.'

Dom rolled her eyes at the nickname, and once again, placed index and middle fingers on the younger woman's wrist. 

'Am I going to make it ?' Darlene asked. 

'It's getting better so you should pull through.' 

'Agent Dipierro saving the day. As usual.' she said in a sarcastic tone. She turned to face Dom, and asked her in a more serious tone 'When was the last time you had to help someone get through one of these ?'

'I don't remember exactly. Probably a few months ago. Gunmen embushed the hotel we stayed in, I was the only one who made it out. A few days later, I went to the funerals, and one of the wife broke down in the restroom...'

Darlene offered an apologic smile to Dom who got up. She offered her hand to Darlene, which she gratefully took. They were standing very close together, which made Dom's nervousness come back in full force. She slowly started to reach for the door when Darlene simply offered, 'Thank you for doing this. I am guessing that the job's description didn't include : helping a loser get through a panic attack.'

Dom wouldn't admit it but it was nice to see Darlene's softer side. 'You are welcome. Also, for your information, I don't think of you as a loser. Like I said, you are more special than you think. Don't let this get to your head though.'

And with that, Dom made her way out of the safehouse, leaving Darlene on her own. 

The hacker sighed, and turned around towards the kitchen. She grabbed a box of cereals, sat down in front of her unfinished puzzle. As she started to slot the final pieces into her puzzle, she realized that it was the first time that she had let someone other than Elliot help her get through a panic attack. 

For this reason, she wasn't that surprised when she started to reach for her phone to dial Dom's number as she was having another panic attack while being stuck in this underground hacker tournament with her brother. Darlene knew Dom would understand, and she would help her get through this once again.


End file.
